Protective means for conveyers



y 9 19% E. R. WOCDRING 2,505,927

PROTECTIVE MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 10, 1948 a2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G. i.

- INVENTOR. F/G 2. EMOQY e. WOODE/NG.

ATTORNEYS.

W 1959 E. R. WOODRING 2,505,927

PROTECTIVE MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 1.0, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR. EMO/QY 15?. woaaemm ATTOIQA/EYS.

Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROTECTIVE MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Emory R. Woodring, McKeesport, Pa.

Application August 10, 1948, Serial No. 43,462

3 Claims. IV

This invention relates; to aprotective: means for cushioning: the fall. of materials; discharged froma chute.

An object of the invention is the provision of a protective and cushioning means for. a belt conveyor which is adapted: to receive abrasive materials from the-lower end of. a chute, the protective means. being in the. form. of a. length of belting having. a free end. projected forwardly of the; lower end of the. chute. and. onto the upper run of the conveyor. while: the other end, of, said belting. is rolled on a drum, means beingemployed for retaining the free end projected; at all times onthe conveyor so that the. materials will fall onto the free. end or the belting and. prevent wear of the belt conveyor.

A further object or the invention'is. the provision of a protective means for a belt conveyorin which the free. end of .a length or belting is drawn from a drum and projected onto the. conveyor where materials having an abrasive, action are discharged from the lower end of a chute so that the free end of said belting willxreceive the. falling materials and protect the conveyor from wear, the worn free end of the beltingbei-ng removed from time to time and replaced by unrolling the belting suificiently from the. drum, a resilient element being employed for retaining the belting taut between the drum and the free end and for maintaining said free endprojected in an operative position on the upper run of the conveyor.

The invention is best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure. but is susceptible of such changes and modifications as shall define no material departure from th sellent features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is aside. view inelevation of my at tachment applied. to a chute andin protective relation with a belt conveyorr- Figure 2 is. a plan viewof the attachment.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken along the-line- 3--3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a flanged collar for rotatably supporting the opposite ends of a shaft square in cross section,

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken along the line 55 .of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fra mentary longitudinal section showing the cushioning means for r an auxiliary belt forming the main element of the attachment;

Referring more particularly to the drawings!!! designates a conveyor belt supported by a drum H The upper run of the belt which is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig- -ure 1 is supported by spaced rollers l2 along, its

length. A chute l3 directs coke on to the run of the belt; The coke has an abrasive ac.- tion on the belt and such abrasive action. is increased by the height of the lower end of the chute above the belt and also by the fact that the coke leaving the end of the chute is traveling faster than the conveyor.

A protective means for the belt. consists. ofi.;a. length of belting 15 supported by the bottom of the chute-With a. free end It resting on the upper run of the moving belt conveyor and at a point on the conveyor where the chute would ordinarily discharge the materials onto said belt so. thatthe free end of the length of belting will bear the abrasive action of the materials. The length of belting I5 is guided by a. plurality of brackets, H and I8 as said; belting is played out from .a drum 20. However, the length of belting is carried primarily by a plurality of bolts or rollers 21. and Zla which areconnected between the lower ends of pairs of the brackets secured at. 22 on the. side walls of thechute l3 and depending therefrom.

A resilient means for the length of belting L5 is employed for maintaining the free end it of said belt projected forwardly on the upper run or the belt I5 at the. initial discharge of materials from the chute and during the continuous pouring of the materials from the chute and particularly when the force of the discharging materials acts on said free end. The resilient means includes one or more springs 25 attached to the length of the belting. The cushioning of the belting tends to check the speed of the coke or other materials before being. received by the upper run of the belt lit. One coil spring may beemployed but two or more springs will prevent any tendency to lateral shifting oil -the tree-end it of the belting since the, tension on saiidend; willbe distributed across the width. of said. belting. It will, be noted from Figure .6 that one end of the coil spring or springs is attached to the transverse bolt 2! while the other end of said spring has been converted into a book 26 which is received within a slot 2'! in the length of belting.

The drum 2D is mounted on a shaft 30 which is square in cross section and which is received by square-shaped openings 3i in the closed ends to'the other end 55 of the shaft.

32 of said drum. The shaft is in line with the longitudinal axis of the drum. A bushing 33 consists of a collar 35 and a circular flange 35. The collars are received by circular openings 36 in supporting plates 3'! which depend from the side walls 38 of the chute 3. The upper ends of the plates are bolted at 39 and 39a to said walls. The collars are revolved by the shaft since the shaft is received by a passage 40 square in cross sec tion, in the collar and flange. The closed ends of the drum are in abutting relation with the flanges 35.

Aratchet wheel 45 has a square central opening received by the shaft 313. The outer end of one collar 34 abuts one face of the wheel while the inner end of another collar 43 abuts the outer face of said Wheel. A bracket 41 has its upper end secured to the spaced supporting plate 3'! by the bolts 39a. The lower end of said bracket is provided with an opening 48 receiving the collar 40 which is rotatable therein. A flange 50 on the collar is in contact with the outer face of the bracket. A collar 5i is secured at 52 to one end of the shaft 30 while a collar 53 is secured at 54 The collar 5! at the other end of the shaft has an integrally formed operating crank 56. A pawl 5'l depending from a pivot 58 on the supporting plate 31 adja- The length of belting I 5 at its inner end is attached to the drum 2B in any approved manner and the drum is prevented from playing out said belting by the pawl 51 and ratchet wheel 45 attached to the shaft 30. The springs 25 which are connected between the belting and the bolt 2| maintain the free end l8 of the belting extended over that portion of the upper run of the conveyor in where the materials are discharged from the lower end of the chute l3. When coke or other hard abrasive materials are discharged directly on to the conveyor, such conveyor becomes worn. This wearing action is increased further by the fact that the speed of the falling materials is greater than the speed of the moving conveyor. the fall of the materials and rolls said materials 'onto the conveyor.

The free end of the belting cushions When the free end l6 of the belting becomes worn, the pawl is released and the drum 2!) is revolved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3 to play out a further portion of the free end of the belting to replace the worn section of the belting. It is to be borne in mind that the hooks 26 on the springs 25 must be released from the slots 2'! in the belting l5 before any adjustment of the belting is made. After a sufficient portion at the free end of the belting has been projected forwardly over the conveyor it the hooks are replaced in slots located inwardly of What I claim:

1. In an endless conveyor for transporting loose abrasive mineral matter which is discharged onto the conveyor from the lower end of a chute, means protecting the conveyor from the falling materials comprising a length of belting having the free end thereof projected onto the upper run of the conveyor to receive the materials before being discharged onto said run, a manually rotated drum arranged transversely of said chute intermediate the ends thereof and dependingly supported by said chute, the other end of the belting being attached to the drum with the slack portion of the belting being wound thereon, a spring connected between the chute and the belting adjacent the free end of said citing for taking up slack and for maintaining the free end of the belting projected onto the conveyor and a releasable means retaining the drum against rotation.

2. In an endless conveyor for transporting loose abrasive mineral matter which is discharged onto the conveyor from the lower end of a chute, means protecting the conveyor from the falling materials comprising a length of belting having the free end thereof projected onto the upper run of the conveyor to receive the materials before being discharged onto said run, a manually rotated drum arranged transversely of said chute intermediate the ends thereof and dependingly supported by said chute, the other end of the belting being attached to the drum with the slack portion of the belting being wound thereon, spaced guides depending from the chute for supporting the belting between the free end thereof and the drum, a spring connected between one of the guides and an intermediate portion of the belting for maintaining the free end of the belting projected onto the upper run of the conveyor, and a releasable means for retaining the drum against rotation.

3. In an endless conveyor for transporting loose abrasive mineral matter which is discharged onto the conveyor from the lower end of a chute, means protecting the conveyor from the falling materials comprising a length of belting having the free end thereof projected onto the upper run of the conveyor to receive the materials before being discharged onto said run, a manually rotated drum arranged transversely of said chute intermediate the ends thereof and dependingly supported by said chute, the other end of the belting being attached to the drum with the slack portion of the belting being wound thereon, spaced guides depending from the chute for supporting the belting between the free end thereof and the drum, one of the guides being located adjacent the discharge end of the chute, a coil spring having one end connected to the lastmentioned guide, a hook on the other end of the spring received by an opening disposed in the belting between the drum and the free end of said belting for maintaining said free 'end projected over the conveyor, and a releasable means for retaining the drum against rotation.

EMORY R. WOODRING.

No references cited. 

